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Comment by HappyTypist | Hacker News Reader

What I'm concerned about is the following:

> However, before more info is gathered, Microsoft’s privacy governance team, including privacy and other subject matter experts, must approve the diagnostics request made by a Microsoft engineer. If the request is approved, Microsoft engineers can use the following capabilities to get the information:

> Ability to gather user content, such as documents, if they might have been the trigger for the issue.

This means that Telemetry in Windows 10 is a built in backdoor that allows Microsoft to access your local files. That is disturbing. At minimum, explicit user consent should be required, i.e. a popup asking if you'd like to share a specific file with Microsoft.

Source: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt577208.aspx?f=...

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That is only the case if you set the telemetry settings to "Full".

Full is the default setting. For all intents and purposes, 99 in 100 Win10 PCs are on Full.

We're talking about Windows 10 Enterprise here, not regular consumers.

Enterprise is the only version that allows you to disable most of this stuff.

It's on by default on all other versions.

And if you look in the comments even for enterprise he chose a "customized install" to be presented with 15 pages of telemetry options (all default on even in enterprise). He selected "No" for all telemetry data (in the customized install that even most admins would trust is not necessary from MS rhetoric) and is still getting this activity.

The article said 3 pages, with a total of around 15 options.

Thanks for catching that. It is still worrisome that there is activity after disabling the 15 options (3 pages) and maybe more worrisome that you don't get that option in enterprise edition without a custom install. Working in biotech, pharma companies do not take well to external network connections. Although most will have whitelist firewalls, I would have expected the default in enterprise would be to not phone home.

I agree that it's far too many, and far too much effort to completely disable.

Education is a subset of Enterprise.

I can understand Microsoft forcing non-Enterprise users to update. What I don't understand is why only the Enterprise version of W10 has switches to control the leakage of information. The cynic in my thinks maybe Microsoft is fulfilling some three-letter agency wishlist items.

Even if the US government were entirely trustworthy, other governments are not. Does Microsoft really want to be put in the position where they either have to face sanctions or turn over the data of somebody whose big crime is being the opponent of somebody powerful?

I can't. I bought windows. If I don't want the new version or the new patches I damn well shouldn't be forced to use them. This crap doesn't fly with anything else, why do we accept it with software? Would it be ok for GMC to come to my house at night and replace a recalled part on my truck in my garage without my explicit consent?

GMC won't fix your truck, but Tesla might upgrade their cars when you aren't looking.

I look at patching almost like a public health issue. Vaccinations are important because they protect you and the people around you. Likewise, secure machines connected to the internet are good for the owner and everybody else on the internet.

I get what you are saying, but I think the forced patches on consumer machines is at least arguable. The forced collection of data seems less defensible to me.

I don't think that makes it any less disturbing.

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